Practical tips for small biz owners

I saw a great video this weekend about a Massachusetts business called The Hungry Ghost Bakery. While they prefer to use organic flour for their bread-making, the cost of growing wheat in Montana and shipping it to South Carolina to be milled, then on to Massachusetts to the bakery sometimes tripled in the past year.

So the owners had a brain-storm! Why not ask their customers, many of whom are farmers and gardeners, to grow wheat for them. Many farmers thought of this as an “experiment,” although wheat had been grown in the region prior to World War II. One farmer was able to produce 2,000 pounds of wheat from one acre of land.

While it’s doubtful that you own a bakery, this story gives us all inspiration about how — with a little creativity — we can reduce our costs and include our customers in the process. When so many people are complaining about feeling isolated, why not ask your neighbors, your customers, to participate in your business? Now that’s teamwork!